Sean O’Neal: An Activist Behind the Lens

Hometown New York City, where he bounced between his father’s place on the Upper West Side and his mother’s in Chinatown.

Now Lives A one-bedroom apartment in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., “a short 10-minute travel time to the cliffs overlooking the ocean that inspire me,” he said.

Claim to Fame Mr. O’Neal is a photographer and self-described “artist-activist” who documents environmental and cultural changes. He is also known for being the offspring of not one, but two famous parents: his father is the tennis legend John McEnroe, and his mother is the actress Tatum O’Neal. He made waves recently when he changed his surname to O’Neal. “I wanted to create my own path that is reflective of my work and not my last name,” he said.

Big Break His first solo show, which ran June 4 to 18 at the LAM Gallery in Los Angeles, featured a series of pictures taken two months after a devastating earthquake hit Nepal last year, such as an image of a makeshift classroom amid rubble. (A quarter of the show’s sales went to Citta, a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities in the developing world.) “I can get caught up in caring about things that really don’t matter,” he said. “This was a way to step back and get this amazing new perspective on my life.”

Latest Project Mr. O’Neal is currently undertaking a “lifelong project” to capture the rugged California coastline. Many of his pastoral shots (sea gulls on the Malibu shore, ocean vistas peeking out of a San Simeon forest) are posted to his Instagram account. “It’s all about capturing that split-second moment,” he said.

Next Thing He is taking portraits of Los Angeles’s gay homeless youths “to show how resilient, brave and strong these kids are,” he said. Even though Mr. O’Neal identifies as a straight man, the recent shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., was a call to action. “I’ve recognized that now, more than ever, the power of a single voice of support has an infinite ability to change,” he said.

Sensitive Issues His mix of model good looks, famous pedigree and humanitarian concerns has led to tens of thousands of social media followers, and appearances in W magazine and other publications. But true to his earnest spirit, Mr. O’Neal keeps perspective. “I remember my mom telling me this story that when I was 4 or 5 years old, I saw these two guys fighting and it made me so upset,” he said. “I happen to just be a very sensitive person, and I’m very aware of how privileged I am.”

Correction:Sept. 25, 2016

An article last Sunday about the photographer Sean O’Neal misidentified the neighborhood in Manhattan where his father lives. It is the Upper West Side, not the Upper East Side.